Elegant - Sensuous - Intimate. Award Winning Pinot Noir wines from the Jacobson-Chiaroni family boutique vineyard. The wines produced from this vineyard have received many awards, showcasing the premium quality of Judge Rock wines. A romance not a blockbuster, feminine not masculine, balance not power, family not corporate, and love not lust.

Wines

Elegant, sensuous, and intimate Pinot wines

This vineyard grew from an idea that with love of the land and attention to detail our site would make great Pinot Noir and St Laurent.
International sommeliers and wine competitions like Decanter, International Wines and Spirits Challenge, and Air New Zealand Wine awards have all awarded our wines gold after gold after gold.

2014 Pinot Noir wins the Pinot Noir Trophy and the Best Red Wine Trophy at the 2016 Australia & New Zealand Boutique Wine Show

We are so small we are almost invisible. Our mass of awards belies our size. We are the Higgs Boson of world Pinot Noir.

We are visible once a week at the Otago Farmers Market Dunedin on a Saturday morning at the beautiful historic railway station. This has become our cellar door to the world.

Vineyard/ Cottage Accommodation

Judge Rock Cottage Accommodation

Day light relaxing in the Hot Tub and night time Star gazing.

Come along and experience a home away from home in our newly renovated self contained Cottage. Enjoy vineyard accommodation at its finest. Large, spacious open plan living areas make this cottage the perfect place to relax, unwind and entertain both inside and out. Enjoy the comfort of cottage living and wake up to stunning panoramic views. Sleeping 6, the Judge Rock Cottage is in a prime location to enjoy the Central Otago Rail Trail and other attractions in and around Central Otago. If you are looking for short term accommodation with a difference then the Judge Rock Cottage is your place to relax, with beautiful views of the vineyard right at your back door. To find out more and to book your stay do not hesitate to contact us.

This self contained cottage has everything you need to make the most of your time in Central Otago. With the freedom to come and go as you please with private access and parking, and with the Alexandra Golf Course and Rail Trail at your doorstep, there is plenty to keep you occupied. Alexandra town centre is also only a 20 min walk away.

Private deck and BBQ area with vineyard views, great for entertaining or relaxing. With the added bonus of being situated right on the award winning Judge Rock Pinot Wines vineyard, treat yourself to a tasting and get to know your friendly hosts over a number of their award winning vintages. Base yourself here for exploring the region

Package tours, courtesy of Otago Tours, can be arranged to suit. Wine Tasting, Arts & Crafts, History of Gold mining , Lord of the Rings, Natural History are just some examples of what can be arranged.

NEW ZEALAND.COM TRAVEL DEAL

Stay 2 nights at the Judge Rock Cottage and receive an exclusive wine tasting with your hosts and a free bottle of gold medal Pinot Noir

Due to the nature of our business cancellations affect us significantly and we apply a strict cancellation policy. At time of booking a 50% deposit is requested to confirm the booking. The remaining 50% is due 7 days prior to arrival.

When a cancellation is received within 20 days of your intended arrival date, we will retain 25% of the room cost; Cancellations from 19 to 7 days, we will retain the 50% deposit; and 100% will be charged if less than 7 days’ notice is given. Every effort will be made to re-book the room and, if successful, the fee will be refunded.

BOOKING ENQUIRY FORM

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Minimum stay 2 nights

NZ$250 per night for 2 people plus $50 per extra person

The Judge Rock vision is elegant sensuous intimate Pinot Noir

Our vineyard of 4 hectares is planted with 12,000 Pinot Noir vines with the oldest vines planted in 1998. The first planting was by John Patrick Joseph Jacobson ( Paul’s Dad) in late 1998. The vineyard is on a westerly face slope down in the sheltered Alexandra basin in Central Otago New Zealand. We have the extremes of winter frosts -12C and summer heat 35C with cool continental climate nights.

Our growing season starts in early October with bud burst in the first or second week and picking in early to mid April depending on the season.

The rows of vines are angled to the north west to balance the sun light on both sides of the vines from veraison to picking. The vines are at 1.4m to 1.2m spacing with 2.5m row widths to accommodate the Massey Ferguson 35 red tractor. Vines are bud rubbed, shoot thinned, tucked up,leave removed, grape thinned and shoulder trimmed and picked, all by hand.

This is what winemakers call hang time, leave grapes on vines to develop flavours past 24 brix. Nervous time for us vintners!

A Year in the Vineyard

October:

Start sulphur spray regime. Every 2-3 weeks until nets go on in February. Bud burst is usually first to second week of October.
Shoot thinning –removal of shoots to 2 per spur preferably one either side. Ensure there is an adequate gap between each spur for shoots to develop uncrowded. Ensure that area below the crown is not too crowded.
Remove shoots at bottom of trunk
Bud rub shoots up trunk
Planting or replanting

Lifting of tuck wires
Straightening and untangling of vines
Putting in clips
Leaf plucking remove laterals so that fruit has light and air around
Take down irrigators
Trim vines

February:

Put on nets- tie down and secure
Check and repair nets
Put up irrigators
Lifting of tuck wires
Putting in clips
Fruit thinning and removal of shoulders
Checking drippers

March:

Remove second set & green/unripe fruit

April:

Harvest and party – now the winemaker’s work begins

May:

Take down irrigators
Take off nets
Label and put away nets
Vineyard clean up
Remove sleeves and stakes no longer required
Put up irrigators

June:

Pruning- removal of cane down to 2 buds per spur. Spurs spaced length of secateurs apart Remove any spurs pointing down, or off to the side. Leave one spur down trunk below crown.
Training- check cordon wrap is firm and rewrap or wrap new cane if required
Younger vines 2 bud at base, choke tie or wrap . Cut off any shoots down trunk.
Clean out sleeves of younger vines

The wine is tasted daily to get the optimal balance of tannin and fruit character.
It is then lightly settled and raked to French oak barrels (one third new oak, one third year two, & one third years’ three and four year old barrels)
The malolactic fermentation occurs in the barrels to soften the wine and the wine spends 10-11 months in barrel.

The wine is settled prior to bottling. We find the Pinot Noir wine needs 18 months bottle aging to reapproach it’s condition in barrel.
Our wines are gently crafted at Vinpro in Cromwell under the stewardship of a team of New Zealand’s most experienced oenologists.